BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) volleyball team dropped a five-set battle with the Samford Bulldogs (25-17, 21-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-17) in The Southern Conference (SoCon) play on Friday night in Birmingham, Alabama, at Pete Hanna Center.
 
Allie Sweet led the match with a new career-best of 32 kills. It marks the first time in the 25-point set era a Spartan has secured more than 30 kills. In addition, the last time a Spartan notched 32 kills in a match was on Sept. 29, 2007, when Branagan Fuller earned the feat against Furman.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 – Both teams tussled back-and-forth in the early goings of the match. However, with the Bulldogs holding a one-point advantage, 6-5, a block assist from Elenoa Sing and Robin Rosser began a 6-0 Spartan run for an 11-6 lead. UNCG maintained the lead the rest of the set, capitalizing on a .382 hitting percentage. Kills from McKenna Timmerman and Sweet gave the Spartans the final two points to secure the first game, 25-17.

Set 2 – Samford found its stride in the second set, never allowing UNCG to maintain a lead. With Samford in control, 23-19, the Spartans captured two unanswered points to make it a two-point game, 23-21. However, the Bulldogs were able to collect the final two points of the set to secure the frame, 25-21.

Set 3 – The Bulldogs continued their momentum into set three by starting things off with four-straight points. Samford held the lead for the entirety of the third set. UNCG made things interesting late in the set, tallying a 3-1 run to make it a four-point game, 24-20. However, the Bulldogs were able to notch the set point, earning the third game, 25-20.
 
Set 4 – The Spartans regained their flow in the fourth set, recording a 4-1 run over the Bulldogs to start, never allowing the home team to lead in the stanza. Samford came back to stay within range late in the set. With UNCG holding a 20-17 lead, Samford tallied two consecutive points to make it a one-point game, 23-22. The Spartans responded with a 2-1 run to take the fourth set, 25-23.  

Set 5 – The final frame was an all-out battle between the Spartans and Bulldogs, featuring a total of 10 ties and three lead changes. With UNCG on top, 15-14, Samford tallied a 3-0 run to take the fifth set, 17-15, for the 3-2 win.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Sweet registered her 17^th career double-double and 12^th of the season after leading the Spartans with a new career-best 32 kills and adding 16 digs.
• Gabby Seeds notched her fifth double-double of the season and her career after leading the match with 56 assists and adding 11 digs.
• Timmerman and Rosser added 14 and 13 kills, respectively.
• Chloe Nussbaum led the match by matching her career-best of 33 digs.
• Graylinn Serge added 12 digs on the day.
• Sing paced the Spartans with six total blocks.

RECORDS
UNCG: 12-8, 5-4 SoCon
SAM: 9-12, 4-6 SoCon

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UP NEXT
The Spartans will head to Greenville, South Carolina, to take on Furman on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in Alley Gymnasium.